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Thursday, April 9, 2009

A Jewish Girl in the South

Does it even *sound* like it fits?

It does, but it doesn't. Not when it comes to the holidays. Nobody knows what it's like to be an outcast in the South like a Jewish girl. Seriously.

I called my doctor's office for an appointment, mentioned calling back tomorrow and the receptionist said, 'We're closed tomorrow.' I heard myself think out loud and ask, you are? 'Yes, it's Good Friday.' My response was a bit of an: "Oh." And hers was, 'Yes, Easter's here already!'

I made an appointment for myself at a Massage Envy and was trying to figure out what kind of massage to get. I opted for Shiatsu, and when she explained the difference between that and Trigger Point massage she explained that one was more intense, '... and you don't want to be sore for Easter!' Riiiight.

And lastly, the worst part (right now) about being a Jewish girl in the South is that there are practically NO places to go shopping for Passover! I mean, honestly, is it that hard to have a small but serious section of products for your observant Jewish clientèle? I can't tell you HOW many times I picked something up in a supermarket "Passover section," only to determine that it wasn't actually a Passover product. Bah! I did buy a few items, and at least I was able to pick up two boxes of Matzo, but man, you'd think North Carolinians had never heard of Passover the way things have seemed these last few days!

So that's my gripe for today. I'm a transplanted Jewish girl from Brooklyn who would love it if someone from NY would open up a Kosher deli and/or catering place, or at least a little nook in the wall that sold K-P products! In the meantime I'm thawing out my dad's matzo ball soup, minus the matzo balls. Ah, well! A Zeisen Pesach, everyone!

I had sort of the opposite experience this month, I needed to contact a vendor in NYC, but they were closed for the 2 weeks surrounding Passover (plus vacation?), but their auto response stated it was for Passover. Since I live in Atlanta, I don't really encounter businesses closing for Good Friday, and there are plenty of places to get Kosher items. It's a bit far to drive on your daily errands, though! ;)

My best friend is the Kosher category manager for a local grocery store chain. If it weren't for her, I think a lot of the observant Jews would move out of this town because there are NO options for them to eat out anywhere (other than the shul, hee hee). I'm sure it must be difficult. Do you keep kosher in your home?